


Intoxicated

by Anteros, seitsensarvi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fashion AU, M/M, Modern AU, attack on fashion zine, eruri - Freeform, fighter levi, muse levi, photographer erwin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 05:49:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17802194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anteros/pseuds/Anteros, https://archiveofourown.org/users/seitsensarvi/pseuds/seitsensarvi
Summary: A profile of photographer Erwin Smith and his muse Levi Ackerman.A collaboration with seitsensarvi for theAttack on Fashionzine.





	Intoxicated

**Author's Note:**

> The beautiful art seitsensarvi created to accompany this piece can be seen [here](https://seitsen-sarvi.tumblr.com/post/182829475883/levi-for-attackonfashionzine-as-part-of-a-collab).

The name of Erwin Smith will be familiar to anyone who has leafed through a glossy fashion magazine, or whose eye has been caught by a striking luxury brand advertising campaign. Indeed the internationally acclaimed award-winning photographer is arguably as famous as the models, designers and A-list celebrities he has made his name photographing.

Erwin’s passion for photography began at the age of ten, when he was given an old Kodak camera by his father, who died tragically in an accident shortly afterwards. Distraught, the young Erwin channeled his energy into photography. “I suppose it was a way of distracting myself from the sense of grief and guilt following my father’s death,” he explained, in an interview after receiving the coveted International Photography Award five years ago. Such was Erwin’s precocious talent that by the age of thirty he had already reached the pinnacle of his profession. Having shot campaigns for all the leading fashion houses of Europe, won awards for his bold signature style, and held successful solo exhibitions at galleries and museums around the world, Erwin was sought after by haute couture mavens, cutting-edge street wear auteurs, iconic brands and up-and-coming models alike. However despite the accolades, Erwin was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the rarified world of high fashion photography.

Concerned with the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of beauty and body shape that the couture industry forces on women, Erwin began questioning his role in an industry that profits from the sexual objectification of young models.

“As I got older and the models got younger and I felt more and more uncomfortable with the power dynamics and the voyeuristic nature of the scenes I was being asked to shoot,” Erwin explains. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. I simply could no longer be part of an industry that negates women’s agency and marginalizes them to become sexual objects of the male gaze.” Three years ago, at the height of his career, Erwin announced his indefinite hiatus from fashion photography.

In order to push his boundaries and rediscover his identity as a photographer, Erwin decided to make a foray into reportage.

“I never set out to become a fashion photographer, I was always more interested in documentary photography, so it was a natural direction for me. I was looking for something more real, more challenging, I guess I was hoping to find something that might reignite my passion for photography.”

Erwin found what he was looking for in the unlikeliest of settings - the underground bare-knuckle fight scene. He is cagey about how he found his way onto the scene, underground fighting is unlicensed and illegal, fights are often run by powerful gangs and cartels, and huge sums of money change hands during prize fights. It was at his first fight that Erwin heard rumours of a fighter they called Humanity’s Strongest but it took several months to track him down.

“I’ll never forget that night,” Erwin recalls, his eyes shining, “the fight was in a warehouse next to an abattoir on the outskirts of town. The noise was deafening, you could feel the bass reverberating up through the floor. The place was packed, the whole crowd wired. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. You could feel the aggression rippling through the crowd.

“I knew it was him as soon as I saw him. He exuded power and presence even though he lacked the cocky bravado of some of the other fighters. He was just standing beside the ring waiting, but it was impossible to take your eyes off him.” 

The fighter was of course Levi Ackerman, the man who transformed Erwin’s career and went on to become his muse, model and soulmate.

Intoxicated, Erwin found himself drawn back to fight after fight, like an addict craving a hit. Finding Levi Ackerman was one thing, photographing him was quite another.

“The first time I tried to photograph Levi, he threatened to break my camera and my legs,” Erwin laughs at the memory now.

But Erwin Smith is not a man who gives up easily. Slowly but surely a strong bond of mutual trust developed between the two men, and finally, after months of patience and perseverance, Levi allowed Erwin to photograph one of his fights. 

“I was fascinated as soon as I laid eyes on him,” Erwin confesses, “but it was only when I turned the lens on him that I truly saw him for the first time. There is an extraordinary power and grace to the way Levi moves, something in the way he reflects light and shadow that I can’t put into words. All my photographs are attempts to capture that indefinable quality.” Erwin pauses and corrects himself “No, that’s not right, there is an essence to Levi that I don’t think could ever be captured, all I can hope to do is offer a glimpse of that.”

Short and dark with an intimidating scowl, Levi Ackerman could not be further from the tall willowy models Erwin was used to shooting, and yet he transforms through Erwin’s lens. There is an electrifying intensity, a naked intimacy to Erwin’s photographs of the man he freely acknowledges to be his muse. The heat of Levi’s gaze radiates off the page, leaving the viewer feeling as though they have intruded on a profoundly personal moment between the two men. The effect is compelling, disturbing and deeply erotic.

Levi himself is something of an enigma. His origins are obscure and colourful rumours abound. One story relates that his ancestors were guardians of the crowned heads of Europe before persecution forced them to flee and scatter. Another, that he was a petty criminal and underground gang leader before Erwin found him, and there are even credible reports that he is related to the notorious convicted killer Kenny Ackerman.

Despite his naturally taciturn appearance and hard man reputation, assistants who have worked on Erwin and Levi’s photoshoots insist that he is kind and considerate to a fault and he certainly seems to inspire unusual trust and loyalty in those who work with him.

Levi for his part rarely gives interviews and is reticent about his unexpected fame. On the few occasions he has agreed to be interviewed he has revealed little of himself. Instead he talks almost exclusively about Erwin; his admiration for the man is as clear as his devotion to him.

Asked about Erwin’s vision of him, Levi simply shrugs and says, “I don’t know, I wish I could see what he sees. He’s looking at something I can’t even see.”

Levi has been approached by countless other photographers and model agencies but he steadfastly refuses to be photographed by anyone other than Erwin Smith. When asked if he would ever consent to being shot by another photographer, Levi shakes his head and smiles “No,” he says, “only one man.”


End file.
